Tiago Pinto is reportedly one of the options to become West Ham United’s Director of Football on the back of some fine business at Premier League rivals AFC Bournemouth.
One wonders how many current Bournemouth targets could find themselves on the Hammers’ radar, then, if that rumoured switch from the South Coast to East London becomes a reality.
Hammers News can confirm that vice-chair Karren Brady is keen to appoint a director of football. One with real footballing experience to replace de-facto DOF David Sullivan.
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According to Claret and Hugh, Bournemouth chief Tiago Pinto is in the running at West Ham United. Not for the first time, by the way.
So as Tuttomercatoweb report that Pinto is driving The Cherries’ pursuit of Inter Milan wideman Luis Henrique, would the former Roma and Benfica talentspotter also make a play for the Brazilian if he was appointed to oversee footballing operations at the London Stadium?
West Ham United eye Tiago Pinto as Tiago Pinto eyes Luis Henrique
TMW claim that Bournemouth have a £23 million deal lined up for Henrique.
‘Informal discussions’ have reportedly taken place. And while the former Marseille ace has been much-improved in recent times following a tough start to life at the San Siro, he is anything but ‘unsellable’.
Luis Henrique during US Sassuolo Calcio v FC Internazionale - Serie A
Photo by Luca Amedeo Bizzarri/Getty Images
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Henrique, though, is also the kind of player Nuno would presumably like to work with at West Ham.
Nuno admires versatile, hard-running players with the stamina required for a counter-attacking style of football. The Paraiba-born 24-year-old was a revelation as a box-to-box right-sided midfielder at Marseille; scoring nine goals and assisting ten more in 2024/25.
While he has struggled occasionally with the defensive side of the game at Inter – AC Milan exploited the space in behind him to net the winner in a recent derby – Henrique looks particularly well-suited to the up-and-down, box-to-box nature of Premier League football.
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West Ham star Jarrod Bowen registered an assist in England's 5-0 win over Latvia
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Henrique was a revelation at French giants Marseille
Captain Jarrod Bowen has the right-sided role nailed down at West Ham, of course. On the occasions when Nuno deploys a back-three, as he did last week against Manchester City, Henrique would be a fine, attack-minded alternative to Aaron Wan-Bissaka.
“He’s having a fantastic season,” former L’OM coach Roberto de Zerbi said in a campaign in which Henrique provided nearly 20 goal contributions. “He’s proving he’s a complete player both with and without the ball. He’s scoring a lot of goals and improving a lot.”
“Luis Henrique? On the pitch, he’s the man for everything,” added ex-Everton striker Neal Maupay. “He can score, defend, and provide assists. He’s powerful. He plays freely and he’s effective.”
It is no secret that Tiago Pinto tried to bring Axel Disasi to Bournemouth a few months before the France international left Chelsea for a loan spell at West Ham. One suspects that, if the 38-year-old Iberian is indeed offered the keys to the London Stadium, signing Disasi permanently will be one of his first tasks.
Picking up where he left off at Bournemouth with Luis Henrique may also be something Pinto looks into.
Interestingly, speaking to The Evening Standard in 2023, current sporting director Mark Noble admitted he had spoken to Pinto as he prepared for life in a behind-the-scenes role.
The Portuguese was heavily linked with a move that would have seen him join Noble in the capital shortly afterwards.
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